AI-powered translation still needs work after errors mar debut at Boao Forum
AI-powered translation system from internet giant Tencent spouted gibberish during its first implementation at Asia’s Davos
The day that machines will surpass the ability of humans in language translation could still be many years away, following the breakdown of Tencent Holdings’ artificial intelligence-powered translation system during the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan province last week.
Tencent’s simultaneous translation system, which was designed to provide both interpretation and transcripts, made an error-filled debut at the high-profile forum, sometimes known as Asia’s Davos.
It spouted gibberish that were displayed live on screen at the event and in a WeChat mini program. These included garbled characters, repeated words and even broken Chinese, screenshots of which were widely circulated on social media last week.
Tencent took the high ground by conceding the errors and aiming for improvements in future.
“The AI interpreter had some errors and gave wrong answers to several questions during the forum,” Tencent said in a statement. “Our simultaneous [translation] machine, an artificial intelligence (AI) product, has a drawback, but it is still learning and growing.”
That may have helped ease worries about machines taking more jobs away from people.